Automatic stop mechanism



Feb. 24, 1931. v 5, LOWDER 1,794,081

AUTOMATI C STOP MEGHANI SM Filed Sept. 20, 1929 @Iader l7. llowczcr',

Patented Feb. 24-, 1931 VANDER B. LOWDER, or CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA AUTOMATIC STOP MECHANISM Application filed September 26, 1829. Serial No. 395,393.

invention has for its principal object the accomplishment of the same purpose by means which are in part electromagnetic. The advantages of the present invention are a reduction' inthe cost of manufacture and greater simplicity of construction and oper- 3.111011, many parts employed in the patented device being dispensed with. Y I

' In order that the invention may be readily understood reference is had to the accom- 2 panying drawing forming part of this speci- 3 to employ.

fication, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a napping machine'of the type illustrated in the above mentioned'patent; j

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing some of the feeder fingers and as sociated'parts; and 1 Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the electromagnetic means which I prefer The machine illustrated in Figure 1 is of the same general construction as that described in'myprior patent and hence requires no detailed description here. As in saidpat- 'ent, I provide weight actuated stopping mechanism comprising a shaft lhaving secured thereto a disk 2, having inits periphery a notch 3 with which a hook or h1g6 carried by a lever or latch 4 is adapted to engage. This latch is pivoted at 5 and extends in a substantially horizontal directionabove the disk 2 so that the lug 6 is held by gravity in the notch 3, and so that when the lug rides out of such notch it rests upon the periphery of the disk and thus maintains the latch member in elevated position.

As in said patent, the present invention includes the weight 8 suspended from a cable 7 attached at its other end to a suitable pulley on the shaft 1, the cable 7 passing over guide pulleys 9 carried by a swinging frame 10, which, as in said prior patent, serves to operate a brake. In fact I contemplate using in the present arrangement all of the automatic stop mechanism associated with the shaft 1,

shown and described in said patent above identified.

Adjacent one end of the frame of the machine is mounted a transversely extending rod 11 insulated from the frame of the machine as indicated at 12, and secured to this rod are a plurality of spaced bracket arms 13, as clearly shown in Figure 2. Feeler fingers 14 arepivoted at their rear ends to said arms 13 and restby gravity upon a transverse shaft 15 mounted in the frame of the machine. The cloth being treated, which is indicated in broken lines at A, passes over the shaft 15 on its way to the machine, and the feeler fingers 14L ride upon this cloth. In other words, the cloth normally separates the feeler fingers from the shaft 15.

In order to actuate the latch member 1 and release theweight actuated stop mechanism as described in my prior patent, I provide electromagnetic means comprising a solenoid designated in its entirety by the numeral 16. This is mounted on the frame of the machine immediately below and adjacent the end portion of the latch member 4,, as

clearly shown in Figure 1. his solenoid preferably is provided with a plunger comprising a headed iron core 17 and a brass piece 18 secured to the core 17, as by means of a screw joint 19. The brass or other nonmagnetic member 18 is provided abltS upper end with ahead 20 which is arranged to engage with the under side of-the latch member 4 when the solenoid is energized and the core 17 drawn up. Normally the head 20 t rests upon the upper end of the solenoid and holds the core in the position shown in F igure 8. r

The circuit of the solenoid includes a W1re 21 extending from one terminal of the wind ing to the shaft 15 or other part of the frame, and a wire 22 connected with the other terminal of the winding and extending to one side of a source of current. The other side of the source of current is connected by means Lib any part of of a wire 23 with the insulated rod 11 which supports the feeler fingers 14L.

Interposed in one of these wires, as for example the wire 21, is a-switch or circuit controller comprising a fixed contact 24; and a switch blade 25 pivoted at 26 and normally engaging the contact 24. The end of the switch member 25 overhangs or projects in the path of movement of the end of the latch member 4 so that when said latch member is moved upwardly by the solenoid plunger to release the stop mechanism, the end of said member engages the switch member 25 and moves it away from the contact 24 thus opening the circuit of the solenoid; It will therefore be seen that the inclusion of this switch in the solenoid circuit has for its object the opening of'such circuit as soon as the sole noid has operated, thus preventing waste of current and possible overheating by the continuous and indefinite energization of the solenoid after it has functioned. It will be further observed that due to the fact that the latch member is maintained in its elevated position by reason of the lug 6 riding upon the periphery of the disk 1, the latch member will maintain the switch open until such time as the automatic stopping mechanism is manually reset and the latch again engaged .with the notch in the disk.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with my prior patent above identified, it will be clear that should holes or rents in the cloth pass under the feeler fingers 14, or should the loose end of the cloth pass under such fingers, one or more of these fingers will engage the shaft 15 thus completing the circuit of the solenoid 16 and moving the latch memher to release position as above described, thereby automatically stopping the machine.

In addition to the fingers 14 I provide another finger 2'? similar in construction but disposed normally in a different position. This is clearly shown in Figure 2. This finger 27 is arranged opposite a portion of the shaft 15 beyond the edge of the cloth A, and is normally held in elevated position. as by means of spring 28 (see Figure 1). Secured to this finger 27 is an arm 29 and this arm is connected by means of link 30, bellcrank 31, link 32, bell-crank 33 and link 34 with an oscillatory member 35 mounted adjacent one of the feed rollers over which the cloth passes at the bottom of the machine. This oscillatory device, which corresponds to the device 65, 66, in my said patent, is so p0- sitioned as to be swung on its pivot should the cloth tend to bunch up in or wrap around the machine in an improper manner. and when this device is oscillated or swung on its pivot in this manner the motion will be communicated through the links and bell-crank levers above described to the finger 27, and this finger will be drawn down into contact with the shaft 15, this again closing the circuit of the solenoid 16. It will therefore be seen that I have provided automatic means responsive either to the passage of defects or loose ends in the cloth or to the bunching up of the cloth in the machine for energizing the solenoid 16 and this releasing the automatic stop mechanism.

In order to straighten or smooth out the cloth as it enters the machine, I preferably provide the additional mechanism shown in Figure 2 and at the right of Figure 1. This comprises a pair of arms 36 depending from the shaft 15 and carrying at their lower ends a pair of spaced rods 37 between which the cloth passes. An oscillatory or swinging movement is imparted to the arms 36 and rods 37 bymeans of a pitman rod-38 connected to one of the arms and also to a wrist pin on a pinion 39 meshing with a gear 40 mounted on a power shaft 4:1 driven by any suitable means (not shown) from the machine. Thus as the cloth passes up through the rods 37 it is subjected to a shaking action which tends to smooth and straighten out any wrinkles or folds therein.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the class described, weight actuated means for stopping the machine, a latchmember for holding said means with the weight in raised position, electromagnetic means for moving said latch member to release position, means responsive to abnormal conditions for energizing said electromagnetic means, and means actuated by such movement of said latch member for 1 opening the circuit of said electromagnetic means. 7

2. In a machine "of the classdescribed, weight actuated means for stopping the machine, a latch member for holding said means with the weight in raised position, electromagnetic means for moving said latch member to release position, means responsive to abnormal conditionsfor energizing said electromagnetic means, means actuated by such movement of said latch member for opening the circuit of said electro-magnetic means, and means for maintaining said circuit open until the stopping means is manually reset.

3. In a machine of the class described, weight actuated means for stopping the machine, alatch member for holding said means with the weight in raised position, a solenoid having a plunger arranged to engage and move said latch member to release position, means responsive to abnormal conditions for energizing said solenoid, and a switch in the circuit of said solenoid having a portion projecting into the path of movement of said latch member, so as to be opened thereby.

4. In a machine of the class described, weight actuated means for stopping the ma.- chine. a latch member for holding said means with the Weigh in raised position, electromag' netic means for releasing said latch member,

a shaft over which the cloth runs on its Way to the machine, a series of fingers bearing on the cloth as it passes over said shaft, a circuit for energizing said electromagnetic means including said shaft and fingers, and an oscillatory cloth straightening device mounted to oscillate about said shaft as a center, and serving to smooth out the cloth as it approaches said fingers.

5. In a. machine of the class described, the combination with automatic stopping means, of an electromagnet for controlling said stopping means, a support over Which the cloth runs on its Way to the machine, a series of feeler fingers bearing on the cloth as it passes over said support, a circuit for energizing said electromagnet and including said support and fingers, and means for shaking the cloth as it approaches said fingers to remove folds therefrom and to straighten out the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

VANDER B. LOWDER. 

